The following intern story was written by Katie Larson, our Summer 2019 Marketing Intern.
To the future interns of RMHCA,
Throughout my life, I have always been enthralled with the idea of using my personal gifts as a way to bring light into the lives of other people. We all want to find what is it that we are truly passionate about during our lifetime. To me, there is truly nothing quite like making someone smile, even if it is just for a moment. Growing up in Birmingham, I have always heard amazing things about the support the Ronald McDonald House provides to families of ill or injured children.
When the opportunity to apply for RMHCA;s Student Leadership Council (SLC) was announced at my high school three years ago, I jumped at the chance to become more involved with this organization…and man, am I glad I did! I never would have imagined that serving as the Communications Coordinator of the SLC could eventually lead to me having an internship with RMHCA. My time volunteering was so meaningful to me and continued to influence me for years. I am so excited for you to get the opportunity to spend time in such an amazing place.
My experience as a Marketing Intern at the Ronald McDonald House exceeded the high expectations set by my time spent volunteering. The main aspect of my internship was to take photos all around the House of guest families and volunteers. This led me to having the opportunity to build relationships with many of the amazing individuals who come through the House.
One of my biggest pieces of advice is to try to be as outgoing as possible during your time working as an intern here. Whether it is a conversation with the parent of the child I am photographing, or making a kid laugh by creating funny pose ideas, my internship offered infinite possibilities to make a positive impact in our guests’ lives. In my opinion, the most amazing part of what I do is capturing images of the ill or injured children while they are laughing or smiling. The picture I take serves as so much more than just a memory. It highlights the inner joy that is ever present inside the hearts of these children. My photos are a way for the parents of the kids here to always have an image that brings back positive memories and happiness. I think that this is so extremely rewarding, and I know that all of the other intern positions here offer just as much opportunity for such fulfillment.
Another aspect of my internship was assisting in running our various social media platforms. I worked very closely with our Communications Coordinator, Brianne, in picking photos to post and writing copy for it. My other piece of advice to all of you future interns is to get as close to the staff members as possible! They have endless amounts of advice and wisdom that can greatly help anyone around our age as we navigate into our future careers. Everyone is eager to help you with anything you can need, and they almost always can use your help with something.
